Postscript
Maintaining Bangladeshi Time
One of the most baffling things to a first time visitor to Bangladesh is people's total disregard for punctuality. Let's face it, being on time is just not a priority for us. This probably has to do with a general laid back, happy-go-lucky attitude that has been part of our culture for eons. For westerners and many locals these days, who have little time to spare, adjusting to Bangladeshi Time can be quite a challenge.
People will make appointments and come two hours late equipped with the usual excuses: the PM was going past and the roads were blocked; it rained and the roads were flooded so had to wait for the water to subside, otherwise pants would get muddy; the traffic was unusually bad because of the agitation by opposition party members, garment workers or students demanding a rescheduling of exams due to World Cup Cricket.
Others will show up and be quite nonchalant about the fact that they have kept someone waiting for hours and may not even bother to give any excuse at all. Rather, they will be surprised at your lack of enthusiasm regarding their precious visit and will just not understand why you are grimacing dangerously and talking through clenched teeth.
These days, however, with a growing corporate culture, being late or absent is frowned upon and may even cost a person's job. Which is why people come up with the most innovative of excuses: thugs hired by a rival relative were threatening abduction hence the absence for three days; mistakenly overdosed on grandmother's laxatives thinking they were painkillers; sister was possessed by an evil spirit and had to be exorcised.
But if you thought tardiness didn't exist in western countries here are some of the memorable excuses made by employees documented in a survey conducted in the US for Career Builder, a firm that helps companies hire the best talent in the field:
Employee's angry wife had frozen his truck keys in a glass of water in the freezer.
Employee got a late start because she was putting a raincoat on her cement duck in her front yard (because rain was expected later that day).
Employee's car wouldn't start because the Breathalyzer showed he was intoxicated.
Employee attempted to cut his own hair before work and the clippers stopped working, so he had to wait until the barbershop opened to fix his hair.
A bear attacked an employee's car (had photographic evidence).
Employee drove to her previous employer by mistake.
Employee claimed to have delivered a stranger's baby on the side of the highway.
For those who are sticklers for timeliness there is much woe to be experienced even for the simplest of activities. If the dinner invitation is stated as 8pm and one is on time there is a high probability of sitting in the living room for at least 40 minutes before the host comes rushing in, disheveled and flustered from being woken early from a beauty/power nap before the party. If it is a seminar, workshop or launching of something, there is no point going into a frenzy to get there on time, especially if the Chief Guest is someone important. In fact the higher up in the pecking order, the later he/she will be. Programmes with ministers will be late by at least an hour and a half because we all know they need to be in several places all at the same time. It is also to make sure lesser individuals do not turn up after the VIP has arrived.
Funnily enough we are not the only ones who maintain a unique time frame that is different from others. A few years ago in the Ivory Coast, a campaign was launched against 'African time' which was said to be adversely affecting productivity and national development. The slogan was “African Time is killing Africa – let's fight it”. A 'Punctuality Night' was held in Abidjan to acknowledge government employees and business people who were regularly on time for work, appointments etc. The winner who won a $60,000 villa was a legal adviser who was so punctual that his colleagues called him 'Mr White Man's Time'.
Whether or not timeliness is a 'White Man's' concept, we cannot deny the fact that modern life demands a minimum degree of punctuality especially with our being global citizens and all. Imagine if we stuck to Bangladeshi time while appearing for board exams, job interviews, live TV talk shows, international conference calls...
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